Probably not deserving of it's own thread, but I agree. Although I think the Extended Editions have to be on the horizon. Or maybe PJ is waiting for that 3D tech to push a bit further into the home market and sell them there.

Yeah, I dunno. Maybe they don't even have a release date yet. Is there a risk of losing money on the Extended Editions somehow? I mean it seems like a no-brainer to release them both to me, so this news is pretty strange.

beside the theatrical editions the extended editions what other versions are there out there? the extended edition dvd's are great in picture and sound quality, add significant footage to the theatrical release, and the extras are still the gold standard for dvd's. i don't see the basis for someone saying that there have been different 5 versions and they are all the same....

Peven wrote:beside the theatrical editions the extended editions what other versions are there out there? the extended edition dvd's are great in picture and sound quality, add significant footage to the theatrical release, and the extras are still the gold standard for dvd's. i don't see the basis for someone saying that there have been different 5 versions and they are all the same....

There are still "delete d scenes" that have never made the light of day, even as special features. I know they talked about putting those out eventually as separate extras, like the end of the story with what happened to each character, aside from Hobbits. I think they talk about them on the extras (of the 4 disc DVD editions).

For me, there are the original THEATRICAL CUT versions in 2 disc sets, disc 1 is the theatrical cut, and disc 2 has trailers, generic promo videos and all the various TV specials and previews of the special editions and next film.

Then came the EXTENDED CUTS versions with 4 DVD's, with the movies on 2 discs, with 4 commentary tracks, then the 2nd 2 discs cover pre production and production to release of the films, each documentary is about 3 hours or so on each disc and they are standard interviews with all the people involved in the making of the movie interspersed with "B-Roll", which is the on-set behind the scenes footage. NEW LINE supervised these documentaries.

The last SD release was the 2 disc version with the branching version DVD's with the THEATRICAL CUT and EXTENDED SPECIAL EDITIONS on 1 disc, but 2 sides, and a 2nd one sided DVD-5 disc of all new 90 minute documentaries for each film. These documentaries are more like "fly on the wall" style with interviews being more spontaneous and on set, not really staged interviews or after the fact and these are the documentaries sanctioned by and supervised by Peter Jackson and his usual documentarian Costa Botes, and his B-Roll footage was also used in the other documentaries, but these have many new and very different insights into the making of the films.

Now there are the THEATRICAL CUTS on BLU RAY. I count 4 releases, but I'm not counting the variations of each with little bonus discs like the making of the GOLLUM figurine or the making of the SCORE with Howard Shore.

Sources close to director Peter Jackson have informed me that he’s saving the extended editions of the films for an “ultimate” box set release closer to the debut of the new Hobbit films...

Any chance this means PJ is going to shoot the Scouring of the Shire?

Chances probably pretty low, but I would totally buy that. But I want to know how PJ's going to make it work considering he put a spike through Sarumanat Isengard. Maybe they'll be a foreword that's says, "Pretend you never saw Saruman die." Eh, the more I think about it, the less likely it seems, but it would still be kickass.

Anyone else want to see that studly old hobbit that scowls at Gandalf at the beginning of FOTR go to war? I think it would be cool.

i confess i was not aware of those extra SD releases, which do seem to be repackaged material that was already out there. by the time they release the extended editions on blu ray i may have actually bought a player, so i guess that works out. thing is, the regular extended edition dvd's look great with my upscaling dvd player and hi def set, so i am not exactly desperate to shell out another $150(figure $50 per movie) for versions where my eyes will have to work to see a difference

Raziel wrote:This is probably old news, but apparently a massive amount of the comments on Amazon are negative vis-a-vis the lack of extended cuts. I'm sure they look awesome, but I think I'll give 'em a miss.

Raziel wrote:This is probably old news, but apparently a massive amount of the comments on Amazon are negative vis-a-vis the lack of extended cuts. I'm sure they look awesome, but I think I'll give 'em a miss.

It makes you wonder if NEW LINE (nee Warner Bros) even noticed.

maybe they'll notice when they come out and don't sell very well. the sad thing is, it really won't hurt them. people who won't buy these, will still buy the extended editions when they're finally released. and there will be enough people out there who buy both that they'll still make money off it.

Its a sad and sorry state of affairs this, I think consumer players should have inbuilt "graphic equalisers" but actually for the picture, so you can just tune it to how you like it. I know the problem is more complex than this, and the article seems to blame dodgy CGI , which is strange cos if it was good enough for a presumable 4k scan than why does it suddenly look shit at 2k? Not having the pleasure yet of a HD player, I can't really comment on pro grain or grain removal, its a tricky one, but I would say if it was shot on film then leave the ferkin grain in there. Otherwise, I guess folk are gonna look like they just walked out of a Beverly hills surgery...

There's going to be some sort of Ultimate Edition once The Hobbit is released on BluRay.

I think you are referring to The Middle Earth Saga edition. Inside a hand-carved wooden box is an 18 disc set with maps of Middle Earth, a replica of the ring, an Aragon's sword letter opener, and its all held up by Bilbo and Frodo bookends. Just watching the extras will be a part time job.

There's going to be some sort of Ultimate Edition once The Hobbit is released on BluRay.

I think you are referring to The Middle Earth Saga edition. Inside a hand-carved wooden box is an 18 disc set with maps of Middle Earth, a replica of the ring, an Aragon's sword letter opener, and its all held up by Bilbo and Frodo bookends. Just watching the extras will be a part time job.

I'm kidding but chances are someone at New Line is writing this down.

but what kind of wood? and is Aragorn's sword letter opener real silver or just silver plated?

i'm holding out for the Super-Duper-extramegariffic edition that comes with a replica of gandalf's beard, some christopher lee toenail clippings (with certificate of authenticity), and a miniaturized clone of john rhys-davies in his dwarf makeup, all delivered to you personally at your residence by a couple of hot NZ girls wearing bikinis and elf ears.

then they don't appreciate a great cut of a movie, or maybe they should do nap time first, because the EE of FOTR is probably the best of the three films, either theatrical or EE cut. sounds like they don't really respect the material in the first place if they are constantly talking over it anyway, so they are hardly any sort of accurate barometer of the quality of the film

Peven wrote:then they don't appreciate a great cut of a movie, or maybe they should do nap time first, because the EE of FOTR is probably the best of the three films, either theatrical or EE cut. sounds like they don't really respect the material in the first place if they are constantly talking over it anyway, so they are hardly any sort of accurate barometer of the quality of the film

Naw, they had probably seen the theatrical one a zillion times, or more likely, had read the books many times. Total enthusiasts. There are some good moments in the extended versions, but in some cases the extended scenes weaken the drive of the film especially if the content is either too sidetracked, or the scene itself wasn't put together in the best way. I really believe that a version that is somewhere in between would be great.

But, all in all, I personally will hold off on the blu-ray purchase until the longer cuts come out, because I'm kind of past looking at it as a functional film, but more as a travelogue, or immersive experience that is not about plot, but more about details. And I do think some of the added material is great stuff.

considering the amount of story that is condensed into the film i really don't understand why someone would want less. real enthusiasts of the books complain about things that were left out as it is. seriously, if someone doesn't like long films the issue is with them, not the film. that is like complaining about "Gone With The Wind' being too long and wanting it cut shorter because your attention span can't handle watching something without action every 2 minutes. i am grateful that there are film-makers who don't walk in step with the 3-minute-single cookie-cutter mentality of movie-making. LOTR is a dense, expansive story and requires a lot of time to give it any real justice, it isn't as if Jackson was making shit up to fill time, even the EE's don't cover all of the elements of the story the books do. personally speaking, Jackson could have made and released a 5 hour cut of each film and i would have bought them.

now, if you were talking about "Alien 3" not needing an EE I would totally agree, the theatrical cut was slow and dragging enough as it is and didn't have the excuse of trying to honor any source material either, it was slow and boring born from an unearned sense of self-importance...

ufoclub1977 wrote:Naw, they had probably seen the theatrical one a zillion times, or more likely, had read the books many times. Total enthusiasts. There are some good moments in the extended versions, but in some cases the extended scenes weaken the drive of the film especially if the content is either too sidetracked, or the scene itself wasn't put together in the best way. I really believe that a version that is somewhere in between would be great.

But, all in all, I personally will hold off on the blu-ray purchase until the longer cuts come out, because I'm kind of past looking at it as a functional film, but more as a travelogue, or immersive experience that is not about plot, but more about details. And I do think some of the added material is great stuff.

- I don't mind either version of Fellowship of the Ring. The theatrical stands on it's own, and the extended is just a bonus.- The extended version of The Two Towers is an improvement - it needed that extra material, especially when you link it to the next film.- I really didn't need an extended version of Return of the King. Although the extra bits with the Mouth of Sauron are rather good.

...so I understand what you mean when you say that the best version would be "somewhere in between".

The biggest mistake PJ made, and I think he realizes it too, was not having Saruman's death in the theatres. It's great on the DVD, and I think Lee earned that since PJ promised him it would be in ROTK.

I think it should have been Gollum leading the hobbits on. Pan up through to the forests to Orthanc. Saruman impaled on a spike. Quick cut to black. Credits. I think that would have been badass.

Or at the least, I would have opened ROTK with that after the Deagol murder scene. We didn't need to see more of Frodo and Sam. We got plenty to build their relationship.

I haven't bothered to watch the theatrical cuts since the EE's came out for each film, and have since considered the EE's as the "real" versions as far as I was concerned and the theatrical cuts as abbreviated cuts

Peven wrote:I haven't bothered to watch the theatrical cuts since the EE's came out for each film, and have since considered the EE's as the "real" versions as far as I was concerned and the theatrical cuts as abbreviated cuts

Agreed. I'm waiting to buy the BluRay MegaUltimateExtendedDirector's Cut Box Set when The Hobbit is done and released. Maybe PJ will go back and edit in Tom Bombadil and the Scouring of the Shire..... but use Muppets.

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Peven wrote:I haven't bothered to watch the theatrical cuts since the EE's came out for each film, and have since considered the EE's as the "real" versions as far as I was concerned and the theatrical cuts as abbreviated cuts

Agreed. I'm waiting to buy the BluRay MegaUltimateExtendedDirector's Cut Box Set when The Hobbit is done and released. Maybe PJ will go back and edit in Tom Bombadil and the Scouring of the Shire..... but use Muppets.

I have watched all three EE's in a row several times so far already, taking up an entire Saturday or Sunday to do so and it is quite an unmatched immersive cinematic experience, i can only imagine what it is going to be like adding the EE's of the two Hobbit films to that line-up....

Last edited by Peven on Mon Feb 14, 2011 12:15 am, edited 1 time in total.

Peven wrote:I haven't bothered to watch the theatrical cuts since the EE's came out for each film, and have since considered the EE's as the "real" versions as far as I was concerned and the theatrical cuts as abbreviated cuts

Agreed. I'm waiting to buy the BluRay MegaUltimateExtendedDirector's Cut Box Set when The Hobbit is done and released. Maybe PJ will go back and edit in Tom Bombadil and the Scouring of the Shire..... but use Muppets.

I have watched all three EE's in a row several times so far already, taking up and entire Saturday or Sunday to do so and it is quite an unmatched immersive cinematic experience, i can only imagine what it is going to be like adding the EE's of the two Hobbit films to that line-up....

Your body will reduce in height and your feet will become ultra hairy.But seriously, it will be difficult and amazing all at once.

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Peven wrote:I haven't bothered to watch the theatrical cuts since the EE's came out for each film, and have since considered the EE's as the "real" versions as far as I was concerned and the theatrical cuts as abbreviated cuts

Agreed. I'm waiting to buy the BluRay MegaUltimateExtendedDirector's Cut Box Set when The Hobbit is done and released. Maybe PJ will go back and edit in Tom Bombadil and the Scouring of the Shire..... but use Muppets.

I have watched all three EE's in a row several times so far already, taking up an entire Saturday or Sunday to do so and it is quite an unmatched immersive cinematic experience, i can only imagine what it is going to be like adding the EE's of the two Hobbit films to that line-up....

Your body will reduce in height and your feet will become ultra hairy.But seriously, it will be difficult and amazing all at once.

20 years ago i would have dropped a blotter before doing it......those were the days